HistoryThe Nautilus arrived in 1976 at a strange moment for the industry. Luxury watchmaking was still absorbing the shock of the quartz crisis, and Gérald Genta handed Patek Philippe something that had barely existed before: an expensive steel sports watch. The original ref. 3700 came with an geometric bezel, a horizontally embossed dial, and a porthole-inspired case shape that referenced the windows of ocean liners. Everything the line still trades on was established in that first reference — the case silhouette, the integrated bracelet, the horizontally striped dial. Patek has updated the movement and dimensions several times since, but the design logic has stayed intact for nearly five decades.